Tea's Effect on Obesity

Preliminary research suggests that drinking tea may have effects on body weight, fat accumulation and insulin activity. While it may be premature to draw firm conclusions based on early research, key findings include the following:

Green Tea extract was found to significantly increase 24 hour energy expenditure and fat oxidation in healthy men.

After three months of consumption of Green Tea extract by moderately obese patients, body weight decreased by 4.6 percent and waist circumference decreased by 4.48 percent.

Tea and Insulin

Researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted a study to examine the insulin-enhancing properties of tea and its components. Green, Black and Oolong Tea all yielded insulin-increasing results. They discovered that several known compounds found in tea were shown to enhance insulin, helping cells recognize and respond to the hormone.